Collateral matters
by CliosLibrarian
Summary: Neverland has more stories to tell...Slightly AU circumstances and characters, unintended consequences, and new goals. Slow build. Killian Jones/Wendy Darling.
1. Chapter 1

The woman stepped carefully along the cliff edge, crossing hand over hand, always clutching the next tree for stability as she moved with purpose. The moon above was her only source of light on this dark night, made darker by the looming, low clouds that were crackling with energy, heavy with moisture, threatening to burst at any moment.

"And me in my best leather pants..." She grumbled to herself, a wary eye on the rocks and crashing waves below. The sea air was clean and brisk up here. She licked her lips and was met with a thin layer of salt. The taste made her smile in spite of herself. "Almost there", she said to the moon as she neared her destination. She came upon the clearing at last, and dropped down into a lotus position on the grass as she took in the awesome sight before her. Of a lagoon that shone like diamonds, of purple mountain peaks, and sandy coves ringing the island that laid out before her. Normally she came up here to get away. She came up here to escape her responsibilities, if only for an hour. She came up here to remember her life that came before, the places she had been, and the people she had left behind. And she came up here, to look out to sea, wishing she had the ability that so many seemed to acquire as soon as they arrived in this strange land, the gift of forgetting. But tonight, something else had brought her up to this cliff. Something had driven her from her bed and she had hastily climbed up here in the moonlight.

She sighed, wistfully, and said with some bitterness, "Neverland." She wasn't alone for long.

"No one followed you?"

She looked casually to her right, unsurprised that the source of the voice was a small yellow ball of light.

"I'm not going to talk to you when you are like that Tink"  
The pixie suddenly appeared at her side, the size of a small child.

"Just being careful, grumpy, we are supposed to hate each other remember"

"I think the boys stopped believing in our act a long time ago. But we can keep it up if it amuses you". She said it cheerfully enough, but the look she gave Tink was long suffering.

"Ooh we are melancholy tonight aren't we?" Tink rolled her eyes, but her tone held no venom. She was aware that the girl could not forget, like all the others seemed to. It's what made them put aside their differences and their old arguments. They had a common goal after all.

The pixie had been the one to find her, washed up on the shore that third time she came to Neverland. She had put aside her anger and her jealousy and resolved to help in any way she could. She knew that she was partially to blame for the girl's predicament.

"I don't like the look of that sky Tink. There is something stirring in the air tonight. I think that something is coming"  
"It's not that unusual. We do get visitors. Children that wander here in their dreams and stay, or ones that seek us out, the occasional seafarer that drifts too far out in a storm...and those that get lost on their way to other realms. We send them on their way most times, without much fuss...what is bothering you?"

Tink suddenly noticed that the girl's tension was high. Her eyes were wary and her lips were pursed.

"Have you had a vision?"  
"It's sometimes hard to tell whether they are visions, or dreams, or fantasies...especially here"  
"Oh please tell me you haven't been..." Tink let her voice trail off, her face stern.  
"No, I haven't." The girl responded angrily, her unease apparent on her face.  
"I don't think about him anymore"  
"You just did"  
"Only because you brought it up" she barked at her, and looked back out to sea.

Tink looked at the girl sideways, assessing her old rival, now her closest friend. She would have been in her late twenties, if her life had progressed naturally. She had a heart-shaped face, with raven hair and dark green eyes that turned to a color akin to a tiger's eye stone when she was stressed or worried. Her eyes were wide and merciless, and people found it difficult to lie to those eyes. Her body was lean, but strong and muscular. She had curves that made all the pixies envious, not that she did herself any favors in her choice of dress. She dressed like a man, efficiently and comfortably. She was almost always barefoot, but was always armed with a sword that would have been more fitting for a man twice her size. She bore its weight with no complaint, and when she had occasion to draw it, no one doubted her ability to wield it. She had a shoulder bag that she kept on her at all times. The lost boys joked that she carried the whole island in that bag. Food, water, bandages, and toys...seashells and medicine, and a hundred other things...seemingly able to produce whatever they needed, when they needed it. It had been a gift from a visiting wizard.

Suddenly, Tink felt herself going into high alert, taking in the change in aura and atmosphere that surrounded her friend.

"Hey, you really are worried!"  
"Yes. Something is wrong, I can feel it"  
"So you are gong to camp out up here"  
"Not letting something dangerous sneak up on us. We have finally brought some sort of order to this island. A tentative calm that no one wants to break. The tribe is cooperating with the village and the pirates, the boys are keeping their mischief to a minimum...hell even the mermaids are on their best behavior. They haven't tried to drown a man in ages."

"They still hate you!"  
"That would be why I steer clear of them"  
"And your son..." Tink said quietly, "has he forgotten everything now"  
"Yes. When he calls me mother, it's because they all call me mother. He doesn't remember that I actually AM his mother. The irony is not lost on me."  
"I just realized I haven't set eyes on him in ages..."  
"You don't have to avoid him"  
"I do actually. He has your eyes. Eyes that not even a pixie can lie to. Being around me troubles him, and he doesn't know why. Some part of him knows he shouldn't trust me completely, I think"  
"Little does he know..."  
"Yes, that bit of irony is not lost on me..."

The girl shifted and moved herself over to the nearest tree, getting comfortable for her vigil. She looked over at the ageless blond pixie, who looked deceptively like a child.

"You don't have to stay with me, but I can't leave until I am sure"  
"No, I'll stay. I have a bad feeling too."  
"Oh, so you don't think I am being paranoid?"  
"No," the pixie admitted, "I trust you. You are almost always right about these things...us pixies seem to get more arrogant the older we get, and too complacent. I'll stay with you and we can take turns looking out"

And with that, she lay her head down companionably on the girl's leg, and snuggled up...more for comfort than for warmth. The girl smiled down at her friend and patted her am for reassurance, grateful for the company.

It seemed as though hours passed like that, though it cold have been minutes. time had no real meaning here. She counted her days by the moons and the suns.

As she was ready to wake Tink for her shift, she noticed movement along the far edge of her sight. Off in the distance, through the mist, she saw something taking shape. Her breath hitched when she realized it was large. A boat, no, a ship, was forming out of the fog and she wondered if she was dreaming it. If she had indeed fallen asleep. She held her breath then, willing herself to awaken, but the rising fear that was churning in her stomach told her that she wasn't asleep, and she wasn't hallucinating. Her whole body was tense, and she stared to rise up from the ground.

Tink awoke as she started to roll off the girls leg.

"What? What is it?" She was alarmed now and completely awake as the girl moved to stand as far along the cliff edge as she could without falling off. She shoved her right hand hastily into her bag and brought out a telescope to get a better look. She looked with her own eyes, along the horizon and saw the source of panic. A ship was coming into the bay, just out of sight, dipping into and out of fog.

"Please tell me it's not...what do you see, can you see her name? What ship is that!" The dread in her voice was thick as she pulled the girl around to face her.

The girl looked down at Tink fully panicked now, and nodded her head. "Yes! It's the Jolly Roger!" Tink lifted up, and took the girls hands in her own. "We have to hide you. now! He can't know that you are here. We must protect your son, at all costs!" She cried out, shaking the girl to her senses.

At the mention of her son, the girl swallowed her fear, and willed herself to bury her emotions. With a calm she didn't feel, she said, "...at all costs". She subconsciously placed her hand upon her sword, and with one last glance at the emerging ship, she stole silently back into the forest. The pixie trailed behind her, drawing the fog behind them like a shield with her magic. There would be no time to warn anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

She was relieved and a little proud to find the boys hiding in the trees. Apparently, they had spied the approaching ship as well. "Mother!" "Where have you been!" "Tink, it's Hook!" "Hook is back to play with us!" "Let's hide up here and drop down on him and his men!"

A dark haired boy, quieter than the others, and much more serious looked down into her fearful eyes and quickly climbed down from his tree. He moved towards her, pushing her backwards just out of earshot of the boys and whispered, "Who is this Hook that everyone is talking about?" She hesitated, biting her lip, until Tink nudged her hard in her side and she regained her composure. She put her hand on the boy's shoulder and planted her feet as she scanned the trees, looking up at the boys.

"Listen boys! Hook must not know that I am here. He is...he will be, very cross with me. He sent me away from Neverland years ago, and forbade me from returning. But I just couldn't leave you all here on your own. Please, promise me!" The boys all looked confused at her request, they were whispering to each other through the branches. She then looked directly at the oldest of the Lost boys, and stared in his eyes until he nodded back at her grimly. He wore round glasses on the edge of his nose, and a top hat, but the sword in his hand was no child's toy. "You all heard the mother, it's a secret secret...now, shoosh! They will be here any minute." She mouthed the words , thank you, and he grandly tipped his oversized hat to her.

"Play your games, have fun, and don't let those dirty pirates know our secret!" She said with false brightness.

"Hop, come here for a moment..." She called out to the boy with dark eyes, tugging him lightly by his shirt as he started to climb up a tree.  
"I have another secret for just you and me." She whispered, as she helped him to the first branch of the tree. His ears were at her eye level now. He stilled and looked at her, biting his bottom lip and waiting.  
"No matter what happens, you cannot let Captain Hook know your name."  
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Hop is a secret secret?"  
"No, I mean your other name."  
"Oh, I almost forgot that I had another name!" He exclaimed, placing his hand over his mouth when he realized how loud his own voice was.  
"From now on, you are Hop, only"  
"Hop-only..."  
"Yep, you take that other name, the one that only I call you, and you lock it up in your heart, where no one can find it."  
"You mean like you did with your other name"  
She looked him in his eyes then, shocked.  
"I didn't know that you remembered my other name. I thought that you had forgotten."  
"I haven't forgotten...but I know it makes you sad when I talk about our old life, so I pretend to forget." He squeezed her hand then, and finished his climb, up 3 more branches and out of reach. And his face just out of her sight.

"Tink, fly ahead and warn all that you can"  
"Where are you going to go?"  
"The only place I can go where I am sure he won't find me."  
"But they hate you...!"  
"Yes, but they hate him more..."

Tink looked at her then, recognizing her resolve, and knew that it was pointless to argue. She was going to the mermaids, and there was no way to sway her. She watched her friend disappear into the forest.

Killian Jones swung down into the awaiting rowboat, hook and hand hissing against the rope as he let it wind through. "Toss down my bag Smee! And then yourself."

"The men are wondering if they can have some shore leave, Captain."  
"After they have gathered the supplies we need, yes. They are restricted to the beach and the edge of the forest, tell them to go no further than the lower falls. Remind everyone to drink some water while we are here, but we aren't staying long."

A few short moments later the Captain jumped out of the rowboat and his boots landed with a squish in the soft, wet sand. He paid no attention to the scurrying men, the activity on the beach. The sounds of laughter and delight left behind as he stalked past the beach, into the forest, seeking the pools of water in the lower part of an enormous tiered waterfall that reached up to the highest peaks of the purple mountains above. He dipped a flask in a clear pool, filling it and placing it back in his inner coat pocket. He cupped his hand and raised the precious water to his mouth, drinking the healing tonic. He felt the aches and pains of the trip melt away. He looked at his hand and watched as the lines smoothed and he took another sip. He used to be amazed by the wonder of this place. Now, it was simply a place to stop for supplies. The act of drinking the water from Neverland, water that extended his life and rejuvenated his youth, was simply another routine. It held no magic or mystery for him any more. Neverland held too many memories for him now, memories and regrets.

He suddenly became aware of his dusty clothes, the grime on his skin. He walked to where the pools feed down to the river and began to strip off his clothes, laying them in a pile on the shore line. He stood naked in the breeze for a moment and looked down at his body, checking for evidence of some recent wounds. His hands smoothed an area near his hip that should have sported a nasty bruise and a long deep cut. One that had required stitching in order to heal, and found the skin smooth and unmarked. He smile was light, a thin line of appreciation, that didn't reach his eyes. He dug his hand through his bag until his hand found a bar of soap and waded into the water to bathe.

The woman had watched from her perch in the tree, her looking glass prepped on a higher branch as he made his way to the river, allowing herself only the slightest intake of breath when she realized that he was about to do. He suddenly stood naked in the sunlight, the glint of his hook making her wince slightly. She knew she should leave, that she should have already been on the other side of the island by now. She was ashamed at her own weakness, her overwhelming need to see him. She certainly hadn't expected to see this much of them she mused to herself. The light thought suddenly turned heavy in her heart and she began to shut down, steeling herself. " You are a sad, pathetic creature." She said aloud, to herself before she began the slow, silent climb back down the tree.

He knew he was being watched. He could feel it, the hairs on the back if his neck stirring in the cool breeze. "Damn pixies..." He cursed, without much heat. He reached over to the pile of clothes on the shore and began to wash them as well, laying them out to dry on the rocks, and then ducking the rest of his body under the water to relax as the hot sun did its work.

His plan was to simply resupply the ship and then be on their way that next day, after stopping by the hollow for a helping of pixie dust. He did not relish the idea of having interact with the pixies at all, and was hoping that this trip would go much like the rest. The pixies would clear out for a few hours, allowing him to grab what he required, as long as he didn't take more than a small bagful. Once, he had sent some men to take a few sacks full of dust, hoping to avoid any future need of this place. They never returned to the ship, but their screams were heard resounding down the mountain. Tink was the one that came down and told him the new rules, and brokered the truce between the pixies and the pirates. She was ever the practical little brat.

As if on cue, and as though she had read his mind, she suddenly appeared...a small yellow glow just out of his eyesight. She sprang up to her human-like form and nodded her head.

"Hello Captain, it's been years since we saw you last. You have begun to age again."  
"Yes, Tinkerbell...I try not to impose myself upon you and your hospitable sisters, nor this magical and heavenly place unless I really have to." The sarcasm in his voice was bitter and biting.

"Staying long?" Her tone the very model of nonchalance.  
"Fear not, we shall be gone in the morning...like a dream."  
"More like a nightmare."  
"You didn't always think so, Tink..."  
"That's before I knew you better, before you grew up and became...this." She sneered as she motioned her small hands towards him, contempt in her eyes."The boy you were would hate the man that you have become".

"Oh good, a lecture. It's one of the many reasons I love coming here you know"  
"You can make your dark plans, and you may sail through all the realms for a thousand years, my dear Captain, but you can never escape yourself." And with that, she suddenly disappeared, like a puff of smoke, leaving him in a foul mood. He angrily left the water began getting dressed, though his clothes were still damp.

The next morning, Tink and the woman watched from the top of the mountain as the Jolly Roger receded into the sea. It wasn't until she could no longer see the ship that he heartbeat returned to normal, and she relaxed her grip of of her sword. Tink saw her visibly relax her stance, and smiled.

"See, he's gone. And he had no idea you were here. And better yet, his pirates and the lost boys never even saw each other. Except for himself and Smee, none of the pirates even ventured past the beach. They only came for supplies. You worry too much."

"Hmmm, yes...maybe I do worry too much."  
"He will likely be back again, from time to time. So, we should come up with, um, standing orders for the pixies and the boys. How were the mermaids by the way?" Tink asked her slyly, knowing full well she had stayed in the forest instead.  
"Yeah, well...I didn't have a chance to get all the way to the lagoon. So I hid in the tall trees."  
"Hmmm, if you are trying to hide, you probably shouldn't also try to spy at the same time...risky" and her eyes were bright smiling as the woman turned and looked at her surprised and a little chagrined at being caught.

"Hey, I'm human."  
"Ugh, don't remind me."

Storybrooke, present day

Hook could barely register the words coming out of the Swan girl's mouth as he stared openly at the woman standing at the helm of one of the motorized boats that made its way through the lanes of the marina to the slip a few yards away from his own ship. Swan and Prince Charming had released him and were escorting him back to his ship. All the way back to his ship. Emma was laying down the law, while her father stood by, backing her up. She was giving him the conditions that he must adhere too in order to avoid being placed back in the jail cell at the sheriff station.

"Are you listening Hook!"  
"Yes, yes...no thieving, no killing, leaving Belle and that monster alone until we have dealt with Cora...I get it, I am not a child. And I already agreed, our deal stands." He spat out at her, his eyes averted while he watching the woman in the boat tie off the boat and power down. She had noticed his eyes on her, and had not seemed at all surprised to see him here on the docks, worlds away from when she had last seen him. Any doubts he had about whether it was really her disappeared when she gave him a quick smile as she hopped from her boat to the dock with ease. She was wearing a mix of modern and fairy tale clothes, as well as weapons from both places. She had a delicate white blouse peeking out from a leather waist corset, with knee length boots over blue jeans. She folded a dark green cloak over her arm and threw a satchel over her shoulders. Her dark hair was pulled back with pins in several places from her face, but flowed behind her, long and thick, messy from the wind.

He was in shock, his mind reeling, his breath held. He literally didn't trust his eyes or what he would say. He felt the overwhelming need to grab her and crush her body to his. He was overwhelmed by the sudden and unexpected emotions that surged through his unpracticed heart...joy and no small degree of guilt mixed together and made his stomach flip.

She walked over calmly, spared the Jolly Roger a fond glance, and stopped right beside him, while the Sheriff kept talking and David kept glaring. Emma suddenly stopped talking when she realized their conversation was no longer private.

"Oh hi!" Emma said, as she reached over to give the woman a side hug, smiling...knowing that she could trust the person that was interrupting them to be discreet.

"Hello Emma, it's so nice to see you back at you post, as it were, these are crazy times! We missed you. Though the Prince performed admirably in your absence..." She said quickly, not wanting to give offense to either. He nodded at her with a proud smile as he looked back at his daughter.

"And if rumor proves correct, you must be the infamous Captain Hook?" She turned so that only he could see her face, and while her voice was light and casual, her eyes held a warning. The fear he saw there woke him up from the trance he was in, and he pasted on a smile of his own, playing along with her subterfuge.

"Good news travels fast, I see." He said, his tone light but his face was stern as he looked at her, questions forming in his eyes. She looked relieved as she turned away and looked at Emma expectantly.  
Emma started, "Oh, how rude of me...Captain Hook, this is Lily. She is a very nice lady, despite being a lawyer, but her real love is the water..she teaches scuba, and snorkeling, and also does boat charters out in the bay here. She has promised to teach Henry how to sail when things, uh, calm down a bit." Then she added, "She won't tell anyone who she used to be...kind of mysterious actually. She claims she was just a commoner, a normal woman who traveled and lived her life on the sea." She said, her face showing her doubt at this woman being either normal or common.

"Well, it is always great pleasure to meet a fellow sailor... Lily" his mouth quirked involuntarily at her choice of alias.  
"The pleasure is all mine, Captain. Well, I must be off. Just wanted to say hello to my new "neighbor". I will leave you to your very serious business. Captain, I am sure I will see you again soon. " She couldn't help herself then, teasing him a bit with the laughter in her eyes, then she smiled at the royals, and spared the Captain one last nod as she walked away.

"Yes, of that I am sure...good day." He was quickly moving from shocked to angry and was frustrated that she was walking away and leaving him without the explanation that she owed him. He sighed heavily as the Sheriff began with, "Now, where were we...".

"Reckless, Wendy...very reckless, " She quietly cursed herself as she reached the end of the docks. She fought the urge to run into the parking lot and then got in her truck and drove away quickly. Knowing that he was still watching her, she didn't look back.


	3. Chapter 3

He loomed over her, hands at either side of her shoulders, searching her face. Her eyes fluttered, her head thrown back, her hair a dark halo on the pillow, her hands grasping both sides of his hips. Her right thumb was digging deep circles into the grooves between his muscles and his spine. It was driving him crazy, and he let out a groan, before thrusting again, deep and unabashed. She looked him right in the eye and cried out softly in the darkness of his cabin, "Killian...". He let his arms collapse and brought his body down tight against hers, hip to hip, grinding slowly into her, following the lead that she made with the motions of her hands at his lower back, letting her set his pace, slow and deliberate, stretching out their pleasure. She reached up and kissed him harshly and then suddenly splayed her hands up his back and pulled him tighter down. She moaned and brought her hips up, wantonly raising her legs to dig her heels under his ass, encouraging him to move faster. He lost any semblance of control then and thrust wildly as she suddenly moved her head and bit down on his shoulder, reaching her peak, grating her teeth across his skin. She stilled under him as he found his own release, calling out her name as she pressed a kiss in the hollow of his neck and brought her hands up behind his head to thread through his hair. He laid his head on the pillow right next to her, as the ship rocked quietly around them, lulling them to sleep as they curled into each other in the slivers of moonlight coming through the small port hole.

"Earth to Captain Hook!", he heard an all too familiar voice insist, while a hand shook his shoulder harshly.

He opened his eyes and fought to clear the cobwebs of his dream away, of the memory of her hot skin flush against him, and the smell of jasmine that clung to her hair. He was looking at her so strangely that she moved back from him, removing her hand hastily. It took him a full second to remember where he was, and stood up suddenly to shake off his confusion. He had fallen asleep on Lily's couch while waiting for her to return home.

"I won't insult you by asking you how you got in, but can you tell me if anything will have to be repaired...a lock, a door perhaps?" she said saucily, suddenly annoyed at having found him in her home. She should have known it wouldn't take him long to come find her. She had been avoiding town for days so that she didn't run into him, putting off a confrontation for as long as she could.

"A small window in your inside garden will need replacing" he said blandly, without apology, as though the window had broken itself. The dream version of her, and the current reality in harsh contrast as he tried to walk off the embarrassment of having fallen asleep.

"I see you have made yourself at home" she groused, inclining her head to his coat hanging upon a hook and his boots sitting on the shoe rack in the mud area of her front door. She then looked pointedly at the open bottle of wine and assorted plates on the table nearest him. A small feast was laid out on the table.

"I didn't think you would mind"  
"Breaking into my house, or my fridge?"  
"Well, if you hadn't been hiding up here on the hill in this fortress of yours, I wouldn't have been forced to break in!" He rounded on her, his anger showing at last, as his voice boomed through the house, echoing off the wood floors.

She sat down then in a chair across from the couch, and said simply, "Fair enough. Is that extra glass for me?" He nodded and sat back down on the couch, making a show of making himself comfortable for what he was sure would be a long tale. He then glanced at her large grandfather clock expectantly. That's when he noticed the time. It was two in the morning.

She grimaced at him and then slowly filled the glass with wine, almost to the brim, earning a raised eyebrow from him. She gulped down a fourth of the contents and he tried not to stare when she licked the wine off her top lip. He was about to comment on the late hour when finally noticed her apparel.

"Nice dress, " he deadpanned, as he looked her over pointedly from head to toe. Her hair was piled high on her head, pinned with an ornate clip, and she wore a short, clinging, long-sleeve black dress that crossed over her body and tied together with strings at her waist. She had kicked off her silver heeled shoes In front of her chair. Her toe nails were painted silver as well. Her eyes made dark by some glittery paint and her lips were a dark bloody red.

"I was on a date tonight"  
"It must not have been a very good "date", since you came home alone" he sniped before he could stop himself.

She laughed then, and leaned in, lowering her voice, "Actually, I wasn't alone...but when we got inside and found you snoring on the couch, I asked Victor for a rain check. He wasn't at all happy about it, but I assured him that you and I were just friends and that I was completely safe." That effectively wiped the smirk right off his face.

"What's a rain check?"  
"It simply means that we would, ah...continue our date some other time." She smiled sweetly at him then, feigning innocence.

He caught her implication and started to react, but held his tongue when he saw her smile grow wide...realizing a beat too late that she was baiting him. He was annoyed that she had managed to do it so easily.

"Well, that's neither here nor there. It's not why I am here. I think I deserve an explanation." His voice grew quiet at the end, and he added, "I thought you were long dead."

"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you Captain, but I am hard to kill..or break. Even when betrayed by my so called friends."  
"It was not my intention to betray you. I was trying to do the right thing..."  
"I was part of your crew!", she yelled, and he visibly flinched, the truth of that statement hitting him square in the chest.

She continued, knowing she had hit her mark, her voice growing colder, "And you abandoned me! You left, and never looked back."

He stubbornly shook his head, "No. A pirate ship was no place for a girl. I never should have let you stay as long as you did. It was past time for you to go home, to your family, where you belonged. It was the honorable thing to do."

"Fuck you and your honor!"  
He looked her in the eye then, startled, unaccustomed to hearing her swear. He saw the rage there and the hurt.

She smiled at him then, and it was a terrible, cold smile. "Do you want to see what my loving family did to me after you so honorably returned me home?" She asked him as she turned her back to him, fiddling with the ties on her dress. She pulled her arm out of a sleeve and pulled down the left side of her dress, exposing the skin on her back. He looked with horror at the long white scars that marred her back, knowing instantly what had made them. She turned her head around to witness his expression, and smiled grimly pulling her dress back on.

"Yes, my lovely mother and father had me whipped for running away again. And kept me locked in my room because I refused to tell them where my brothers were. That's all the good that your honor did me. And then, quick as you like, they sold me off into marriage, like a slave, and got me out of London as soon as possible before there was any talk. I never set eyes on them again...thank goodness."

"I...you must know that I had no idea. The last I heard, you were married with a child on the way. You were leaving for the new world. I took comfort in the fact that your life was back on the right path. I had no idea..."

"Oh, please stop with the selfless act. We both know that is a lie. You got rid of me because you were done with me...I had outlived my usefulness. Tell me Captain, how much did my father pay you for my safe return? Were you hoping to get extra if I remained...intact? Guess that part didn't work out as planned, did it?"

His head jerked back as though she had slapped him, his eyes wide in shock. He literally didn't know what to say. He knew she was waiting for him to defend himself, but he wouldn't. He deserved her rage. She had been a part of his crew, and he was responsible for her. He was also responsible for what had happened to her, despite his intentions. He was devastated to now hear that she had not gotten the happy ending that he had tried to give her. It had all been for nothing. He was so furious he could hardly breathe. That's what you get for your good intentions, he thought to himself darkly.

He started to ask her more questions about her past, but she shook her head furiously and said, "Enough. Enough about that" and she raised her glass and took a long drink of her wine. Her glare brooked no contradiction and he realized the rest of that story would have to wait for another day. A single tear slipped from her eye, and she let him see it travel down her face. It shamed him into silence.

He sat there numbly for a few minutes and then he looked at her and asked the only safe question that occurred to him in that moment, "How did you end up in Storybrooke?" The unspoken question being, how are you still alive after all these years?

"Ah...well," she said with an empty laugh, composing herself, her mask moving back into place, "that's a bit complicated."


	4. Chapter 4

Meanwhile, down the hill in Gold's shop...

"This will never work." Rumplestiltskin rasped in Regina's ear. He stalked away from her to begin gathering supplies from the back room, thoroughly exasperated.

Her eyes followed him, her mouth set in a grim line, and then she looked over at Henry and Emma. Henry looked at her so hopefully then, so full of trust. The purity of his love was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She felt her resolve hardening, like it was a tangible thing. Regina spared Emma a quick glance and was surprised by the nod of approval she received in response.

"Don't listen to him...we have your back Regina. We try this first. We aren't in the Enchanted Forest anymore, we can't just go around executing people...even if they are as evil as Cora." She spat out in the direction that Rumplestiltskin had walked off in.

"Sorry Regina, I know she's your mother..."  
"Miss Swan, no one knows better than I do what she has done, and what she is capable of doing. I just...when push comes to shove, I am not sure I will be capable of killing her myself. So, if this doesn't work, I will need...I must ask, will you be able to do it?" The last part she was barely able to say aloud, it was so difficult, asking Emma for help.

Emma moved closer to Regina then, grabbing Henry's hand in the process, and pushing their joined hands on top of Regina's...they all felt a pulse of magic at once, binding them in an unspoken promise. Regina got the message loud and clear...protect Henry at all costs. Emma had just given her permission to do whatever it took to stop Cora from harming Henry. It was cold comfort for what she knew had to happen to ensure Henry's safety. She knew that Henry was never going to forgive her. Emma's eyes told her that she was thinking the same thing. He held both of their hands, oblivious to the communication that had just taken place, happy to have both his mother's cooperating, on the same team.

"Talk about a modern family...", Rumplestiltskin grumbled behind them, his hands full of little bags, ingredients for the potion. He was impatient for this Cora business to be over, so he could back to the business of dealing with Hook...truce or not. He thought of his dear Belle, a virtual stranger to him now. With no memories at all, not even fake ones. Confused and lost, and distrustful of him. She had seen his rage and his power, and thus far, it was all she knew about him. He swallowed that thought bitterly, bewildered by his sense of loss. How would he find the will to fight, when once again, he had lost everything that was keeping him going. Baelfire lost, Belle lost...never coming back.

He set down the stack on the work table next to Regina and waved his hands upwards with a flair. "Well...Tick Tock!"

Back at Lily's pad...

"Well..." He asked when Wendy grew suddenly silent.  
"Well, when my son reached the age of six he developed an illness, TB...it's what we used to call consumption. He was deteriorating, there was nothing the doctors could do, he was fading away from me. I used to sleep in his room, in case he needed anything. I was beyond reason and could not be consoled. It caused a...considerable strain on my husband. He was well aware that he was losing us both."

He could see it in his mind's eye, and imagine her wasting away beside her sick son, not tending to her own needs as she fussed over his. He had seen the nurse in her come out many times in the past. He could hear the helplessness that she felt in the tone that she recounted the memories in. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the pain that nameless, faceless husband had endured as both his wife and child shut him out of their spiral towards death.

"One clear night, I awoke when the moonlight streamed in through the window. I had opened it for the breeze. It made me remember another night so long ago when I had carelessly left my window open, and wished upon a star. And the other trips that had happened after that, at times of great need. I almost couldn't believe it when I saw the star twinkle in the sky, as if it had heard me. I think the only word I said aloud was, please...while I wished with all my heart to take him to a place where he would always be safe. She stopped then, and smiled at him so radiantly, that her breath caught in his throat. He ventured, "Neverland? You took your son to Neverland!?"

"Yes." She said simply.  
"How is that possible?"  
"It's easier than you think, when you have been there before...you can always find your way back."  
"Nonsense, whenever I go back, it takes an extraordinary amount of pixie dust!" He protested.  
"Ah, but you bring with you a ship, and bunch of pirates, and hundreds of years of baggage...I think you would find that if you had ever tried to get back there on your own, you would have been able. Neverland would have shown you the way."

He scoffed at her then, "That is very doubtful." And then he frowned as a thought occurred to him. He looked deep in her eyes for a moment.

"Wendy..."  
"Yes...", she said as innocently as she could muster.  
"I have been back and forth to Neverland numerous times over the years."  
"Have you?" She said, coyly.  
"You...you little liar, you know that I have, don't you?! You have been hiding from me...why? The pixies, they never said a word about you or your son...why is that?" He was sputtering in his anger, as he thought back and tried to calculate the number of times that he had been in Neverland at the same time she must have been there.

She tried to appear nonplussed. "Well that is easy enough to explain. They simply don't like you. And, as you know...nothing is ever free with them. You didn't ask, and they felt no need to tell. And as for me, after what you did, I didn't care to ever set eyes on you again."

She had hesitated barely a second before answering, but it was enough to let him know he was hearing a half truth. He decided to let that issue drop for the time being.

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain how you got to Storybrooke.", he pushed, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Yes, well, as you know, Neverland affects adults differently than it does children. I wasn't able to stay, but I also wasn't able to go home to the real world. I had...seen and experienced too much. So, I traveled for a while, to different realms, and then had the misfortune to get caught up in the curse that brought me here to Storybrooke."

They were both silent for a few minutes, while he pondered her flimsy explanation. And then he asked in a quiet voice, "Wendy, where is your son?"

"Safe and sound in Neverland of course!", she said haughtily, as though he were a child himself. Hook seemed somewhat relieved by that answer. He looked away then and out the large bay window at the moon.

She was grateful that he hadn't looked in her eyes right then, and seen through the lie.


	5. Chapter 5

Suddenly, a trill from her phone broke the silence.

"Just who is calling you at two in the morning?!" He demanded, grimacing at the smirk she gave him as she watched the device light up on the table. He found much of the technology of this realm to be be fascinating, but he hated cell phones. No amount of explanation helped him wrap his head around how they worked, and part of him deep down still assumed it was dark magic.

"That's not a call, it's a text notification." She told him and she smoothly entered her password pattern into the phone.

Emma: R U OK?

"Ah, it's our lovely Sheriff...I better respond, she wants to know if I am OK. Victor must be worried."

He sneered at her mention of Victor and then flipped his hands upward as if to say, do as you please.

Lily: fine didn't rlze that we were texting buds, u do know its 2am?  
Emma: that would be Y i am wondering what Hook is doing on your couch since U just met him?  
Lily: ah, pretty sure u knew I was lying, show was 4 Cora  
Emma: r u my enemy or my friend  
Lily: friend  
Emma: and Hook? enemy or friend?  
Lily: frenemy  
Emma: ?  
Lily: won't help him with Gold but won't let Gold hurt him either  
Emma: care to tell me how U know Hook?  
Lily: nope  
Emma: way too many cooks in this kitchen  
Lily: seriously I

Her phone suddenly rang as she was finishing her response.

"Yes princess...did you get tired of texting?"  
"No, but I need to talk to Hook...I know he hates phones, texting would probably send him over the edge...can you put him on?"  
"Sure...hey!" She walked over and dropped the phone into his hand, "Emma needs you...unlike me..." She heard Emma's low chuckle from the phone as she walked away into the kitchen to give him some privacy. She had to fight a smile at the way he was staring at her phone as though she had just placed a poisonous snake in his palm.

"What!?"  
"Wow, you are in a mood."  
"Yes, a bad one...what can I do for you Sheriff?"  
"I don't know what's going on between you and Lily up there on the hill, or where you know each other from, but I really like that girl. I would take it personally if something were to happen to her."

He made a noise of derision, but said nothing.

"That being said, I need to know since we are all on Team Cobra now...do you trust her."  
"With my life...always have." And as he said that he locked eyes with Wendy over the kitchen counter, knowing full well that she could hear him. She didn't look away.  
"Good, maybe she can help us..."

He reacted swiftly, breaking eye contact with Wendy. "Absolutely not!"  
"But why? I hear from David that she is good in a fight and quite handy with a blade."  
"Listen very carefully Swan, because I am only going to say this once...you leave her out of our plans...I don't want her in harms way. In fact, its now a condition...you won't have my help and cooperation without it...I don't want her anywhere near Cora."

"Do I get a say in this?" Wendy asked loudly so that Emma could hear her. Hook responded by slashing a imaginary line across his own throat. She started to raise her middle finger but changed her mind and also raised her pointer finger, which was much more appropriate gesture for her intended audience. He couldn't help but smile at her. She grimaced at him. The concern he was suddenly demonstrating for her was unsettling to say the least.

Emma was clearly unhappy, but said, "Okay, okay, but we could really use as much back up as possible..."  
"No...and Swan?"  
"Yes?"  
His voice softened and he sighed as he added, "...no one but you can know...that she and I didn't meet yesterday. It's important."  
"Whale knows..."  
"Well, we know that he cares enough about her to have called you in the middle of the night, though not enough to have stayed to confront me...we can get him to keep his mouth shut...one way or another."  
"Subtle."  
"I try. So, the plan is still good...we are all on schedule?"  
"Yes"  
"Good, when the time comes, you can reach me on this..."

"Wait! Hook? Bloody pirate...he hung up on me."  
Emma turned to Snow and a frown tugged at her lips.  
"So she is okay, and Hook says she is to be trusted, but that we can't use her." Emma summed up for her mothers benefit.

"Who is she to him Emma? Who is she period?"  
Emma smiled then, "I'll tell you who she is...she's our insurance against Hook. She is the wildcard."

Snow looked at her doubtfully for a moment, but then it dawned on her. "You think he loves her." "I don't just think it, I know it...I heard it in his voice. He didn't even waste time trying to hide it. But that reminds me, Hook made it clear that no one else can know that they have a past. He wouldn't tell me why."

To Emma's horror, a voice behind her suddenly whispered, "Because dearie, it would mean that he has a weakness..."

"You are sure as hell assuming a lot if you think that I am letting you stay here tonight!" Wendy protested.

He smirked at her indignation, and waved her cell phone in her face before snatching it back.

"Actually, I was just planning on taking your phone for the time being. But I like your idea much better. I will just stay here with you until its showtime, as Emma would say."

She started to protest but then kept her silence. She was troubled by his insistence that she not be included. Part of her wondered if it was because he thought she couldn't handle herself. He was in for a shock, she thought to herself.

"Fine. Keep the phone."  
"Plan to..." He retorted as he settled back into the couch.  
"Wouldn't you be more comfortable sleeping upstairs?" She said without thinking, her voice an octave lower than she intended.

His eyes went as wide as his smile and he stood straight up and sauntered over to her, giving her no where to back up to. He stopped within inches of her, close enough to slow dance. "Well, that's more like it love...", he teased. His Captain Hook mask was back in place.

"I meant, in the guest room..." She said, rolling her eyes at his smirk. She could have slapped her own head, that how dumb she felt.

He leaned in, looking into her eyes. She was not going to be the one to back down.

He raised his hand up to brush an errant lock of hair out of her eyes and his eyes softened at the fierceness he saw there. He suddenly backed away from her, sheepishly, as he remembered the seriousness of the events that they were caught up in. He cleared his throat."That is very kind of you, but the more time I spend with you, the more danger I put you in."

She laughed out loud, surprising him.

"What you actually mean is, the more time you spend with me, the more danger you are in." She said, giving him a knowing look. She was somewhat pleased at herself for standing her ground with him. He started to back away from her, annoyed.

"I meant what I said to Emma...you are to stay out of this business with Cora..."  
"As if!" She exclaimed, and made an unladylike sound.  
"Wendy.." He started, his voice full of warning.  
"Killian..." She replied in the same tone, and then she continued, " the last time I checked you were not the boss of me...you are neither of my brothers, nor my husband, and you certainly aren't my captain anymore...so what makes you think you have any authority over me?" She had moved closer to him as she spoke, her anger increasing, until she was nose to nose with him.

"I don't, so I am really sorry about this.."  
"About what...oh...you bastard!" She screamed as she realized he had managed to slip a looped pair of rope restraints onto her hands and tighten them in the same instant. She struggled against him as he hoisted her over his shoulder and headed quickly upstairs. She cursed at him, kicking wildly at his torso until he brought his Hook down against her legs and made a shallow slash on the underside of her thigh in warning.

"Ow, you jerk...I'm bleeding!"  
"Then stop struggling!"

She stilled as he continued up the stairs. He left the light off as he entered her bedroom and she tried to calculate her options, and what she had handy. Her hands were bound, and her leg was stinging, but she could still run away once he put her down.

He had apparently thought the same thing, because he suddenly was winding rope around her ankles, which he then brought up to her bound hands, pulling tight as he threw her onto her bed. He continued to loop the rope frighteningly fast into an intricate pattern. She tried in vain to throw her weight against the ropes and the tight cluster of hands and feet that he was creating with the tension of the ropes. He was just too fast.

"I am going to fucking kill you when I get free!"  
"Get in line, love"  
"Where did you even get these!?"  
He spared her a disapproving look as he informed her, "from a box underneath your bed my dear."

Her cheeks reddened involuntarily, and she said underneath her breath,"Damn!" She quickly inventoried the rest of that box in her head and let out a quick laugh, under her breath, imagining his face as he opened that box.

He was unamused by her reaction and ruthlessly pinned her down with more of his weight as she renewed her efforts. He finished off the knot and drew back slightly to check his handiwork. She saw the heat build in his eyes as his gaze drifted over her form. Her short skirt was doing nothing to hide her legs and her cross-over dress was no longer effectively concealing the lacy black bra and panties that she wore underneath. He was suddenly acutely aware of her bareness and of the position of his body on top of hers. He bit his bottom lip without thinking.

She suddenly stopped struggling and stared back at him, a dare in her eyes. He quickly shook his head as if to clear those darker thoughts away.

"Okay, so it should be obvious to you by now that you will be staying here safely tucked away as our little drama unfolds. It will all be over tomorrow, one way or another. I'll be back to untie you then." He then pulled out another rope from somewhere low to the ground and with a metal clip that she recognized as a climbing carabiner and she heard a loud snap, as he effectively bound her to the bed. "Looks like you found all of my toys." She said with disgust, angry at herself for letting herself be manipulated by him. She realized that this had been his plan from the moment she woke him.

"Yes, including the impressive collection of weapons you have where I imagine most women store clothes, " He beamed at her as he brandished a short jagged military knife from its hiding place. "I am especially fond of this one, you have great taste." She could not help but be secretly pleased with his praise, but she didn't let it show.

"Bloody pirate...", she said, with some heat.  
He clutched his heart to mime being wounded, and then gave her a sassy smile.

"I win this round love, and I have to tell you, I am not really sorry..."  
"You will be, dumb ass"  
"Honestly, it's a tad confusing...sometimes you are so much like my Wendy, and then other times, like when you are cursing at me, it's like I don't even know you at all...what happened to the girl who was constantly correcting my grammar and my manners? What happened to that little lady?"  
"Untie me and find out." She said with malice, bringing another smile to his face.  
"Ah, but really...you were always like this weren't you. I mistook it for youthful bravado, but really you were always much stronger than you seemed. And much more independent than was good for you."  
"Is that why you got rid of me? Because I was so different from her?" She asked, trying another tactic.  
His face lost all signs of humor.

"It won't work you know...there is no point. I will not change my mind. My course is set...it was, long before I knew you. I will avenge her. He took everything from me and left me with nothing."

"And you still have nothing. Congratulations. You are right...there is no point talking about this...so just leave."

He looked at her and for a moment she felt sure he was going to say something more. Instead he sighed and nodded his head, walking out the door and leaving her in darkness.

She laid on her back and waited until she heard the front door latch click and then close again, until she heard his footfalls on the stones in her driveway receding as he walked swiftly down the hill. She made herself count to 100 in her mind, and whispered, "ready or not, here I come" as she began to work the knots that bound her hands and feet together, like a farm animal.

His knots were firm, but she was more practiced with this type of rope. It took her less than 2 minutes to get free. She bent and waved her hands in circles to restart the circulation.

She then began winding the ropes up and stacking them into a neat pile on the bed. She shook her head and mumbled, "Amateur."


	6. Chapter 6

Hook stalked down the hill in a straight line through the woods, and through a few backyards. He occasionally glanced through windows, catching sight of the inhabitants within. Most were asleep, but a few were awake at this late hour, troubled by the electricity and the undercurrent in the air. Trouble was brewing alright, and he was bringing along his share to the party. Hook popped open his flask and drank a long sip of rum, steeling himself for the next few hours.

He closed his eyes for a moment, seeking some peace, but instead saw her face. Many different versions of her face, flashing in his mind, taunting him. Her eyes challenging him, always, reminding him that he was still alive after all this time. He was not just a emotionless zombie, with one last purpose in life. A dead man walking. He was a man as well. How sweet she was and how cruel, a temptation. But the guilt had always won out.

Ever-present in his thoughts was the debt that he owed to Milah, the promise that he had made to her and to himself-to bring Rumplestiltskin to account for all of his many crimes. The guilt he felt over not having been capable of protecting what he valued most. And nothing could stop him, or get in the way of that. Even a stubborn whelp of a girl, with eyes like emeralds and hair the color of burnt caramel, with a mouth as sharp as a dagger, whose compassion for him had cut deeper than a blade. She was a reminder of how far away he had gotten from himself. That is why he had taken her home, because he never could go home again.

Of course when they had first met she was barely more than a child...and an annoying one at that. She looked down her nose and him and his pirates, and didn't seem to have the sense to be afraid. She and her younger brothers and those infernal lost boys gave his crew no end of mischief. He thought that making her walk the plank would scare some caution into her, but he was wrong. She had chastised him, and worse, hadn't needed anyone's help or rescuing. She had saved herself from drowning, waving goodbye as she swam away with his stolen pocket watch for good measure.

It was the third time that he saw her in Neverland, years later, that their friendship had developed, and she had become part of his crew. It had all happened very much against his will. He smiled sadly at the bittersweet memory and let out a long sigh.

"Best not to dwell on what can never be..." He said aloud.

"Oh, but Captain, isn't that your modus operandi?" Cora hissed in the dark, somewhere in the trees ahead, "dwelling on the past is what keeps you going".  
"Ah, good, you have decided to grace me with your presence. I have been walking in the woods, quite out in the open for almost an hour, hoping you would notice. I have information for you."  
"I'm listening...so, what is their plan?"  
"Well, I am supposed to lure you down to a gravel pit just on the edge of town. Apparently, the dwarves have been mining the diamonds down there in the hopes of using it to get home. They think that you won't be able to resist a boost to your powers"  
"My powers don't need a boost."  
"Well, in any case...that's the plan. They want to draw you out of town and make a last stand out there, where you will not be able to do much damage. And, I think, where there won't be many witnesses. The Charmings are political creatures after all...at least Snow and James are...Emma is more like a blunt instrument."

Her eyes bored into his, looking for any trace of hesitation or nervousness, and not finding any, nodded at him.

"Thank you Hook, that is most useful to me. And my daughter, is she.."  
"No, she has refused to participate...in fact she is holing up with Henry at her crypt until it blows over. She fears for him, but can't bring herself to attack you."

Cora's eyes gleamed at the news that her daughter and grandson would be on their own. "Take me to them, Hook, straight away!"

Twenty minutes later, they reached the cemetery and crossed the threshold of the crypt. If Cora noticed the name, Henry Mills, on the slab that Hook was pushing, she made no mention of it. Once the stairwell beneath was revealed, she said, "After you...", motioning for him to go first. They reached the bottom and the small space opened up into a hallway with a few small rooms. Cora looked at a large ornate mirror at the end of the hallway, and immediately recognized it as a doorway. She motioned for Hook to follow her and stepped right through the mirror and into Regina's hidden palace.

The smile on her face froze as the room came into view. She had expected to walk in to a cozy scene between Regina and Henry. She instead found herself completely surrounded and flanked on all sides. Snow and Prince Charming each had weapons trained on her, a wolf growled low at her, hunched down at her right side. Dwarves of different shapes and sizes were spread throughout the room. Emma stood at the center, her fathers sword in her hand, her golden hair blazing behind her. She heard a tsk sound behind her and slowly turned to see Rumplestiltskin shaking his head in mock disappointment, nodding his head to Regina, who stood to his left, face blank of expression. "I guess I owe you $50 Regina...I was so convinced that Cora would never fall for this. She must be desperate indeed." His hand was raised, with a small fireball spinning between his fingertips and his palm, locked and loaded should she make a move against him.

Regina shook her head sadly. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. You still think that after all you have done, all I know you are capable of doing, that somehow we could still be one happy little family...you, me, and Henry? I should have killed you myself, all those years ago."

Cora's eyes were darting furiously back and forth, assessing her threats. The fury she felt at Hook for having so thoroughly misled her was palpable as she turned to him.

"You must know that I can't let you live after this..."  
Emma shifted closer to her, lifting the blade of her sword to Cora's eye level.  
"Don't even think about it."  
"Too late!" Cora screamed as she raised her hands toward the pirate and threw him clear across the room. He bounced off the brick wall, almost comically, and jumped back onto his feet with a ferocious smile.

Cora was confused until she saw him dangling his rum flask jauntily, taunting her.  
"Your daughter brews excellent protection spells, Cora...who knows, if you hadn't corrupted her magic, she might have ended up a white witch."

She sneered at him and all hell broke loose. She brought up a force field around herself and began casting in every direction, all at once. "Let's see how long your protections last in the face of darker magic!"

Suddenly everyone was moving. The wolf lunged at her and was sent flying backwards. Arrows shot across the room from Snow's bow, and hit their target, yet did minimal damage.

Suddenly, Cora reared up, gathering her arms in front of her like a boxer and the image of her shattered and split, like a deck of cards...there were 4 of her now. One Cora ran straight back through the mirror, with Regina close on her heels. Emma hedged her bets and ran after them both up the staircase. Hook was using his sword as a shield in front of him while another Cora lobbed fire at him repeatedly, forcing him to stay in a defensive position. Red attempted to help him, but got thrown back by the protective bubble.

Another Cora had been backed into a corner by the group of dwarves. And the 4th Cora was trading bursts of magic with Rumplestiltskin, their powers meeting in the center if the room like lightning, grounding out and neutralizing. Making quite a light show, but not causing any real damage. Suddenly, the 3 Coras in the room smiled in unison and vaporized.

Hook spared no time running up the stairs as he realized that Regina and Emma had chased the real Cora back into the cemetery. He got outside and looked frantically in every direction. He saw and heard a commotion in a copse of trees to his right and took off running, without caution.

All four Cora's had cornered Emma and Regina, forcing them to stand back to back to defend themselves. Cora was wild with fury...betrayed by Hook, tricked and trapped by her daughter and her new allies. He knew with certainty that if she did not die tonight, then everyone else would. A cataclysm of her rage would tear Storybrooke apart. He took in the scene in front of him, and he thought of the girl he had left tied up, up the hill, and felt his stomach turn over at the thought. He braced himself, muttering, "you damn idiot" under his breath and prepared himself to leap into the fray. And then a sight stopped him cold.

His Wendy walked calmly out of the woods, right up to one Cora, reached right past her protection and placed her hands on Cora's face. She seemed to be gleaming, as if highlighted by the moonlight. The other three Coras suddenly shuddered and vanished, like balloons that have been popped, leaving the real Cora in Wendy's grasp. Cora was frozen by Wendy's touch, but aware of what was happening. It would only be seconds before she would get free. The magic swelled beneath Wendy's fingers as she fought to remain calm, her aura reaching out and encapsulating Cora like an anesthetic.

Hook heard a voice scream Wendy's name in agony, and realized it was his own.

Wendy spared him a smile, and in the same moment looked over at Regina and Emma, standing together in shocked silence yells aid in a clear voice, "Regina...you have two".

"What!? Two wha..." Regina trailed off when she realized what Wendy was trying to tell her. She looked down and saw two hearts glowing in her chest. She looked at Emma, who was now staring, her face uncertain, hesitating. Regina nodded fiercely and Emma's hand plunged into Regina's chest and pulled out Cora's heart. Regina lifted her hand gingerly and place it on the other side of the heart.

"No!" Cora screamed, horrified.  
"Sorry mother, I choose Henry. I will always choose him."

The Princess and the Queen looked once more into each others eyes as they forced their hands together, squeezing the heart until it was dust.

Wendy caught Cora's body deftly in her arms before it fell to the ground, cradling her head and sitting down on the ground with it. "Be at peace Cora", she sighed sadly as she closed Cora's eyes and Regina broke down into sobs, falling to her knees.


	7. Chapter 7

The clearing quickly filled up as everyone joined them from the crypt. Lots of hugs were given and tears shed. Everyone was talking in hushed tones.

Snow was watching Regina with pity from a respectful distance as she sat on the ground near Cora's body, with her hand on her mother's arm. The Prince was walking around greeting the townsfolk that were streaming into the cemetery, curiosity drawing them to the source of the commotion. Regina stood up suddenly, with a curt nod to the her step-daughter, "I am going to deal with my mother, and then go check on Henry. Ruby must be deaf from his whining by now. He wasn't happy being left out of our little show." And then she disappeared with her mother's body in a puff of purple smoke before Snow could comment.

Wendy sat on the ground with her thumbs rubbing her temples, exhausted from her recent effort. Hook was leaning on a nearby tree with watchful eyes trained on her, uncharacteristically silent. When Wendy felt steady enough and looked up again, Emma was offering her hand to help her up from the ground. She didn't take it, shaking her head, and pushed herself up from the ground shakily. She felt dizzy and heady from the magic coursing through her...actually she felt a little drunk. "Um, yeah..you probably shouldn't touch me right now." She felt a buzzing in her ears as she felt two other forms approach suddenly.

"Why ever not dearie?" Rumplestiltskin queried, his eyes wide as saucers. Hook had moved at the same time as Rumplestiltskin, blocking a clear path to Wendy.

"I think you know", she responded, her hackles rising, her stance guarded as he approached cautiously.

Emma interrupted, oblivious to the rising tension. "How did you do that? What are you, a witch...?"  
"No, she's not a witch or a sorceress...her magic is borrowed somehow. How are you managing that trick dearie, I am just dying to know..." He cackled then and Hook tensed beside her. "Tell him nothing Wendy..." Hook hissed at her.

"It's Okay Captain, he is right...I'm not a witch or a sorceress or a fairy. What I am is an empath." Emma plunged in with,"so you, what...soak up other people's powers?"  
"Not just their powers, their thoughts, their emotions. I guess the simplest word to describe me is a conduit. Even as a child I what you call sensitive, and as I got older, and traveled, and came into contact with magical creatures, my abilities seemed to grow."

Normally she wouldn't have shared so much, but right now she knew that Rumplestiltskin was sizing her up to see how much of a threat she was, and she wanted him to wonder enough to give him pause. She eyed both men, they were becoming more agitated by the minute by their proximity to each other. She was stalling, looking for an opportunity to get Hook out of that clearing before more fireworks occurred.

"Let me guess, your powers increased after you went to Neverland." Rumplestiltskin  
said sagely. Hook was instantly furious, "How did you know that she's been to Neverland!?"  
Emma had the grace to look guilty, she said quietly, "...that's on me Hook, he overheard me talking to Mary Margaret". Hook growled in response, but he never took his eyes off his old enemy. "Don't feel too bad Princess...I knew that she was something special to Hook the moment I saw them together in the dock. Any fool can see it."

He motioned to how they were standing, both of them battle ready and their jackets just barely touching. Emma finally realized that she was in the middle of a standoff, and remembered with horror that the deal that Rumplestiltskin and Hook had made was now over. Cora was dead, and all bets were off.

"Hey...we really don't need any more trouble tonight you guys." Emma whispered, and forced a smile on her face, closing in close to the group so it looked like the four of them were having a chat.

Wendy said quietly, "Then tell him to back off".  
"Why don't you make me dearie?"  
"Don't threaten her crocodile!" Hook spat out.  
"You aren't a part of this conversation Hook...go away, grown-ups are talking."

Emma was having a hard time maintaining her fake smile for the crowd. She looked over at her father, panic written on her face, and he was instantly on alert. She mouthed to him, get everyone out of here, now! And slowly placed her hand on her sword.

"Uh ah ah, Princess...you aren't a part of this conversation either." Rumplestiltskin reached out his hand then and with his magic nudged Emma to the side, unwilling to harm the mother of his grandson. Hook was pushed back a few paces as well, though not as gracefully. Wendy instinctively crouched lower into a defensive position.

"I would really like to know, just how much of those powers do you retain? And for how long? I can't imagine that it's permanent", he said as he walked sideways opening up his arms, giving himself some room, observing her. Emma and Hook were struggling against a tide of power that was pushing them even farther back, and sticking their feet to the ground like fly paper. They could lift them, but not for long.

Wendy shuffled sideways in the opposite direction, her hands up defending her face, boxing style but with her fingers extended...so that now they were circling each other, creating an imaginary ring.

"Why don't you come over here and find out. Please? Give me a reason." She snarled as she suddenly flicked her fingers, freeing Emma and Hook from the imaginary mud they were stuck in, but not allowing them to get any closer. She hadn't even looked at them when she did it.

"Impressive. You can counteract my magic."  
"Oh I'm sure that I can do better than that..." she grinned maliciously, her confidence growing as she flexed her powers. The wind started to pick up, whirling in a large circle, making it difficult for anyone else to approach. She smiled coldly at the Dark One...she was just starting to have fun.

"Wendy, stop this!" Hook yelled, frantic to get back in the circle.

By now the townspeople had realized the show wasn't over. Most were smart enough to move backwards out of the way. But a young man suddenly rushed out of the crowd, through the windstorm, past Emma and Hook, and stopped in Wendy's view.

"What are you doing here Hop!?" She screamed before she could stop herself. The wind picking up, her hysteria rising.  
"You told me to come...you texted me and said it was all over."  
"I didn't text you, I don't even have my phone!" She looked at Hook then and freed his feet so he could come forward. She nodded her head towards Hop. Hook obliged her and went into a defensive stance in front of Hop, giving her a look that said, "who the hell is this guy?" She freed Emma at the same time, and the Sheriff took the opportunity to draw her sword and run up to Wendy's side, still unsure of what exactly was transpiring in front of her.

Rumplestiltskin was watching the scene play out with great interest, but he didn't make a move towards them. His face held a terrible smile.

"I dropped your phone in the crypt. And I didn't text anyone...certainly not this man. I don't even know who he is...I've never set eyes on him before." Hook said with annoyance as he looked back at the man, his confusion apparent.

"Oh, this is too good..he doesn't know. You really don't know, do you?" The Dark One taunted Hook.

If Wendy was shocked she didn't spare any time showing it, and quick as lightning she grabbed Emma's sword, pushed her back, sending her flying towards her parents who were perched at the edge of the circle. She then closed the space between herself and Rumplestiltskin in the blink of an eye. The blade was at his neck before Emma could even protest. The imp flinched, genuinely surprised at her speed, but he stood his ground. Wendy pushed the sword against his skin and reached back with her left hand. A wave of her hand and suddenly a bubble encased Hook and Hop, making it impossible for them to get closer. They began thrashing against the force field, almost comically, and Rumplestiltskin laughed openly at her.

"What a handsome boy, Wendy...he has your eyes, and his father's temper...".  
Inside the bubble, Hook suddenly stopped and really looked at the young man next to him. He gasped as the implication hit home. Hop nodded at him curtly.

"Rumplestiltskin, stop looking at my son!" She screamed so loud that her voice carried across the clearing. He felt a powerful force compelling his eyes away, and fought the growing urge to turn his head. She was strong, but burning up quickly. he was more than willing to wait her out.

"Ooh, you are quite strong...but you won't always be...what will you do then, dearie?"  
"There is nothing...nothing I wouldn't do to protect the people I love. I would let Cora's magic burn through me to keep my family safe. If I have to, I will take that damned dagger that you think is hidden in your jacket and slay you, even though I know that I will have to take your place." She said in a deadly quiet tone, laying out her cards...then she continued. "You of all people should understand the position you have put me in", her voice betraying a note of pity for him.

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly thought of his Belle, and of Bae...of his grandson Henry. Suddenly, taunting Wendy and Hook had lost its fun. He realized that he had too much to lose to gain so little, and his need for revenge suddenly seemed petty and small in the face of all that. He could hear Belle's voice in his head, telling him to stop. Wendy watched with surprise as his countenance changed, his rage retreating quickly. He slowly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, backing away from her blade.

"But why?" She couldn't help but ask, "even with Cora's magic, you are much stronger than me...it could be anyone's game."  
"Because it not a game, is it? And if I act now it will be a confirmation of everything Hook thinks of me, and a betrayal of what Belle believed I could become. I am the dark one, but I am also Bae's father, Henry's grandfather...and I am also the man who loves Belle. I may have lost her love but she has not lost mine."

He let that sink in, and Wendy lowered the sword slowly as she realized he meant it.

"I have a new deal to propose, Miss Darling. I will leave you and your loved ones alone, and you and your family will pay me the same courtesy." He offered, without sarcasm.

She spared Hook and Hop a glance. They stood together, watching her with similar apprehension, looking so much alike that it brought tears to her eyes. She smiled at them with eyes shining and then turned back to Rumplestiltskin and extended her hand. He took her hand in his own respectfully, bringing his other hand to cover it from both sides and suddenly wisps of white tendril-like ribbons of electricity wrapped themselves around their hands as they shook. A binding magical promise, sealed with an earnest handshake.


	8. Chapter 8

The days following the near destruction of Storybrooke were somber but full of activity. Cora had left a lot of damage in her wake...injuries and deaths, and lots of destruction.

The survivors had quickly split up into teams...Emma and the Charmings, as well as the dwarves set out to locate the missing and the unaccounted for, and start the gruesome task of tallying who was left. Ruby also proved invaluable in this, but the strain took its toll on her, and by the 3rd day Granny had insisted on coming with her, walking at her side, keeping her spirits up and lending her nose to the effort.

Rumplestiltskin and Regina put their differences aside temporarily and began the task of figuring out what, if anything, could be done to get them all home to their realm, with Henry and Neal keeping a watchful eye, and ear. It was Henry who first suggested, "But what if some people want to stay?" He was met with Regina's grim eyes as she ruffled his hair. "Well, people will have to decide...". Rumplestiltskin added, "and once they decide, there is no going back...not through Storybrooke anyway. We have to seal off access to this world."

On this subject, they were all actually in agreement, and many late night meetings between all the royals, and of course Rumplestiltskin, occurred preparing for "moving day". This decision would be permanent, and no one could take this lightly. Slowly, the word was spreading throughout the town. They were going to announce their plans at a town hall meeting that night with full attendance mandatory. Then, everyone would have a day to decide.

Hook had stayed close to Hop in those early days, assisting him in his job as a fighter of fires. He was a bit confused actually, because it seemed to him that he did a lot more than that. He seemed to be part law enforcer, part doctor...and did very little actual fire fighting. He quickly came to the unsurprising conclusion that his son was an extraordinary young man, and noted with no small degree of pride, that others felt the same. He was trusted and admired by the townspeople they came into contact with, and Hop had many friends in Storybrooke. He had a way of putting people at ease around him. Hook felt humbled by what he saw, knowing that it was due in large part to her and her care of him.

As Hook had assisted him removing a tree from a bundle of wires that powered the marina's light fixtures, his son told him a secret that he had held onto for as long as he could remember. "Hopkin is just my middle name, my first name is Peter...", he continued reverently, "...for my father". He had looked away discreetly then to allow Captain Peter Killian Jones the privacy of his tears.

He shadowed Hop for days, helping him and most of all listening to him as he confided in his father about their lives since they left Neverland. Hook was mostly silent, letting the young man vent...not all the talks were pleasant ones. Hop was understandably angry at him, at his mother, at their situation. Hook let him rail whenever the mood turned sour, and waited for Hop to ask questions before speaking. He was soaking it all in.

A few times they ran into Rumplestiltskin in town, and each time the two men stared each other down until someone would mention their promise quietly. Hook didn't need to be reminded. He would not betray Wendy in that way, even though he was more than annoyed at not having been consulted before she promised away his revenge. His feelings towards Wendy in general were in a swirl. It was a tangle of emotions, changing from one extreme to another. He was unsettled to say the least. The few times he caught glimpse of her, he fought the urge to kiss her, and then to strangle her, sometimes both at the same time. She regarded him quietly, keeping their interactions casual and task driven.

The three of them were all staying at Wendy's house now. Hop had moved into the basement apartment, and Hook was using the finished attic as his living quarters...they had each retreated to their own floor. He had barely seen her in the last few days as she had pretty much been living at the hospital, assisting Dr. Whale by healing patients who had been triaged to a lower priority, so that he could concentrate on the more seriously injured, getting those that were planning on returning as mobile as possible. Hook was itching to have it out with her, but when she would get home at night, exhausted and barely able to stand, he couldn't bring himself to add to her burdens. He was a patient man, after all.

The night of the town hall he had expected her to be home early to share a meal with him and Hop before the meeting began but she had been summoned to a last minute council with the "moving committee".

When he and Hop arrived, they quickly took seats in the back. Hook suppressed a chuckle as he saw his son choose a seat that was close to the door, but also not within range of any open windows, turning his chair at an angle that allowed him full view of the room, even though there were plenty of open seats in front of them. Perhaps he was a bit like his father too, he noted with amusement.

People streamed into the room, and there was a little bit of commotion as Emma took the podium and started to speak.

"Okay, folks, I am going to make this quick...we...and by we I mean Regina and Rumplestiltskin and my parents and I.." She nodded at them all standing to her side and smiled as the crowd broke out into quiet laughs and chuckles at the unusual sight of them all standing together.

"Anyway, we know that most of you have heard the rumors about what is about to happen, I just want to make sure everyone gets the same information. Tomorrow at midnight we will be closing the portal that leads to Storybrooke...forever". The crowd erupted as people began discussing this with the person closest to them, some hands were raised, and some questions could be heard amongst the din. "Please! Please folks, let me finish, and then you can ask your questions...thank you. Those that want to go back to our realm, will need to meet us in the clearing by the old wishing well...we will raise the portal and hold it open until everyone that wants to passes through.

Anyone that stays behind, and this is very important...any one that wants to stay must understand that they will never be able to go back. Once we close the portal from the other side, it will seal forever and anyone left on this side will be giving up their fairy tale life and any powers or magic they might possess. Everyone will have their memories if all goes well, but this will go back to being just another seaside town in Maine, without magic. Now, everyone should take the next day to consider it very carefully...make your choice for yourself, because its forever. And as for some of you that come from neither world, please see me afterwards...you will need to come through with us and we will work to get you home from there. OK, well, that's all I had to say...good luck everyone."  
Very few people actually stayed to ask questions, and the room quickly emptied as people went home to wrestle with their decision. One day was not very long at all.

Hook and Hop sat grimly, unspeaking in the back of the room, trying to locate Wendy in the crowd that was thinning. Finally Hook spotted her in deep discussion with his old enemy and Regina. He sighed deeply and thumped Hop on the shoulder, "We better go see what that is about, son...".

Rumplestiltskin was explaining the plan in earnest, "..so, we need you to be the backup battery so to speak, for when we start to wane...it will take all of our power to keep the portal open for that amount of time. Emma's powers would be helpful, but they are fairly untried and erratic. You seem to have more control. This is going to be a massive undertaking, and of course there is the question of who will stay behind to make sure we are truly sealed out...".

"We don't have to decide tonight", Regina interrupted quickly as Hook approached, not anxious for another fight. Hook's face show his great displeasure at the inclusion of Wendy into their magical solution. "Well, naturally I will stay behind..." Wendy said resolutely, without looking away from Rumplestiltskin, and Hook's heart soared. He realized that he had been holding his breath. He let it out raggedly, drawing a small look of concern from Hop. He gave him a small smile to reassure him.

Hop had made it clear to him earlier that day that he wanted to stay on this side of the portal. Hook had told him with relief that he felt the same way...he hated magic, and had hated every time that he had used it to further his revenge, but it had been a necessary evil. Magic always took more than it had given. He was over three hundred years old, and he wasn't from that fairy tale realm...he was from this one. He wanted to live out a normal life, or as normal as it still could be, and die here in the real world that he had so desperately escaped from so long ago. He would not be separated from his son again. And he was now relieved beyond words that he wouldn't be separated from Wendy again either. Now if he could just find a way to tell her that.

Emma walked up and patted her Wendy's arm fondly and told her, "Thanks for offering, but you should think about it...we have a little time."  
"I do appreciate your concern, but I am staying in this world, with my family...there is nothing to think about"  
"Of course...I am doing the same..which means I am losing a true friend...we should probably say our goodbyes now, tomorrow night will be chaotic."

Hook's chest had tightened with emotion as Wendy called them a family. It was still such a fresh feeling, of inclusion, and she had said it so matter of fact. It gave him hope.

Emma pulled Wendy into a fierce bear hug. They clung to each other for an emotionally charged moment, and then Emma leaned closer to her left ear and whispered with a smirk, "Are you sure you want to leave me alone with Regina, who is both my step-grandmother and co-parent...Rumplestiltskin, who is the Dark One and Henry's grandfather, then there is my ex-boyfriend Neal or Baelfire...and of course then there are all the people that I actually like...and ogres and trolls, and a former giant that has a Napoleon complex..." She trailed off, squeezing Wendy one last time.

"If anyone can handle all of that complexity, Emma, it's you..." Wendy said, pulling away slowly with a sad smile. "But I will miss you and Henry terribly...take care of each other...and try not to kill Regina...or vice versa. See you tomorrow night."  
"Good night Wendy..." Emma said and then she nodded to Hop and Hook, "..and Wendy's boys.."

"Hook?!" Rumplestiltskin shouted as the trio were leaving through the door.  
"Yes...", Hook hissed as the Dark One beckoned him over for a private word.  
"Make sure she gets some rest tonight, even if you have to bind her to keep her away from that hospital...she is our lucky charm. She will need to conserve enough strength to shut the door from this side. So that none of us, not even me, will ever be able to return."  
"I will."  
"And Hook...stop by my shop tomorrow morning. I found something of yours in an old box."  
"What ever it is, keep it, I don't want it."  
"I think you might want this..."  
Hook searched his face for any hint of treachery and then sighed, "Okay, I'll try to drop by".

When they got home, Wendy dropped her keys on the coffee table and headed straight for her room, hoping to avoid confrontation until the morning. But she knew she was running out of time just as she knew she was being a coward. Hook had other plans, she realized, as she turned to lock her door and found him with his hands on either side of the door jam.

"Don't you think it's high time that we had a discussion?"  
She was startled, but waved him in as she sat on the edge of her bed. He promptly propped up some pillows on the love seat across from her bed and sat down, eyes serious.

She was silent, waiting for the interrogation to begin.  
"Well, what do you want to know."  
"Oh, I know most of the basics...Hop has been filling me in. You know, I was so angry at you for making that deal with him...I felt like you had cheated me out of my revenge and had tied my hands, so to speak...wait, let me finish..." He said, when he saw a flash of anger cross her face. "Hopkin had that same reaction, except that he then yelled at me like I was a child and set me straight. He is so much like me that its quite shocking by the way. But then, you are probably painfully aware of that fact." She only smiled at him sardonically.

"He told me everything...all the things you did to keep him safe. Marrying someone you didn't love to give him a father, giving that up to get to Neverland to save his life, protecting him from me...which you were right to do, by the way...and then, later, when he found out about me, following him to fairy tale land when he ran away to come find me...and then ending up cursed on top of it all. Everything you have done has been for him, and I...I am so grateful to you for keeping our son safe...and for keeping him alive long enough for me to know him."

He stopped and looked at her then, his emotions rising, causing his voice to catch. She was overwhelmed by everything he had just said, and it took her a moment to recover.

"I did love him...my husband, I mean."  
"Oh..." He knew he had no right at all to feel jealous, but he couldn't help it.  
"Not at first of course...he was much older than me, a widower, a friend of my father's. He heard about my predicament through his housemaid and came over the same day to make a formal offer of marriage. We were married that week, and were on a ship to the new world shortly after that. I grew to love him almost against my will. How can any heart that is unused to kindness help but succumb to it? He saved my life, really, and Hop's too...he was a kind man and he was a good father to Hop."  
"I will always regret that I cannot thank him in person for that..."  
"I am not telling you that to make you feel guilty, I am telling so that you know that we were okay...that we had happiness, and adventure...oh my, many adventures until Hop got sick. We traveled non-stop for the first few years of our marriage before we returned home to London to seek treatment for Hop. I will always regret not having said good bye to William before we left for Neverland. And not taking him with us. I found out later that his heart gave out that night. He had apparently been sick for months and had hidden it because of Hop's condition. So...his death is on me."  
"No...Wendy, he would have died anyway."  
"But not alone.."

Hook had no response to that, because she was right.

"You must have hated me..." Hook said quietly, finally getting to the real point.  
"Yes, for a while I did, but not for the reasons you think..."  
"I never would have sent you home if I had known you were carrying my child...you must believe that. No matter what you think of me. I have never claimed to be a good man, I have done many terrible things...but nothing I have done felt worse than taking advantage of you."  
"But, you didn't take advantage of me...is that what you think I am mad about?"  
"You were barely of age Wendy, and a part of my crew...I took your innocence. It was a terrible betrayal of trust."  
"Oh lord, here we go with the drama, " she said, clearly exasperated.  
"Don't mock me Wendy! "

She stood up then, her voice rising with emotion.  
"I was mad at you because I knew you felt something for me, and you sent me away anyway...you were scared to death to let me in, to let me get in the way of your revenge. I hated you for that, for throwing us away. For hating him more than you cared about me. I was heartbroken when you took me home, but when I realized I was pregnant I was relieved that you had done it...because it saved me from leaving. Because I would have you know, to protect Hop from you, and your enemies."  
She let her words sink in. "What I am saying is either way, this would have played out the same..."

"No, I am the villain of this piece Wendy...nothing you say to absolve me will change that. But you are wrong...I sent you away to protect you from me. It's because I cared for you, truly, that I should have kept away from you in the first place. But, I couldn't resist you, you were just too much temptation for this old broken pirate..." He said with mirth. "From the moment you re-appeared in Neverland...grown up and fierce, fearless at the point of my blade...I was lost. You tricked me into letting you join my crew, and I thought...well I will show her what its really like being a pirate! But every tedious, strenuous task I threw at you did, and came back for more...I gave you hell because you were giving me hell, figuratively..." He smiled at the memory, bittersweet.

"Well, I didn't give you much choice...as I recall, I was fairly, um...precocious, in many ways.."  
"Yes, you were...but I was definitely old enough to know better...you were no tavern wench...you were a lady."  
"I was never a lady, take that back!" She protested with a laugh.  
"You know what I mean!"  
"Yes..." She said with smiling eyes, and told him, "I guess my main point is that we both screwed up, but I don't count Hop as a mistake, and I hope you don't either"  
"No, not at all...He is a much better man than me, Wendy, thanks to you..."  
"Yeah, he is pretty awesome isn't he..."

Hop suddenly appeared in her open doorway "Yes, I am awesome...I am also tired, and you should be too! If you guys are going keep talking can you close the door? But really, you should get some sleep Mom...you need to save your energy. I can tell that Cora's magic is fading, and you haven't had much time to replenish your normal everyday powers with all that healing you have been doing...and I am afraid of what will happen if you aren't ready when the time comes. It's going to be a short 24 hours." He gave both his parents a look of disapproval then, admonishing them.

"Quite right son...I will get out of here so that your mother can sleep, in just a minute..."  
"Okay...nite!" Hop said as he waved over his shoulder and shuffled off to find his bed.

Hook said, "Goodnight Wendy" as he rose up and turned off her light. She was already pulling her covers over herself, when he noticed that she still had her sneakers on.  
"Here, let me help you take off your shoes at least! "  
"Oh...yeah, I guess that would help..." She chuckled sleepily and he felt a pang of guilt for keeping her up.

He slipped off each shoe and set them at the foot of the bed and then lifted up her feet and tucked them under the blankets that she was snuggling under. He then adjusted the top of the blanket to cover her body up to her neck, lifting her hair over the blanket and out of the way.

He was startled when she suddenly grabbed his hand in the dark.  
"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" She asked, pulling him down to the bed beside her.  
He was stunned, but managed to mutter, "of course...".

She lifted the blankets and tucked him in beside her and turned her body so that her back was flush with the front of his body, curling into him in a way that he had been day dreaming of for weeks. He quietly removed his Hook and pulled her close. He closed his eyes and they were both sound asleep within minutes. It was quite sobering when he awoke the next day and she was gone from the bed. A note that said, "see you tonight" was scribbled on a slip of paper pierced by his hook on her bedside table.

Wendy showed up at the well a couple of hours before midnight to prepare. Many people were already gathered there, and there was a real party atmosphere about the place. She was actually surprised to find that it seemed like only half of the town were planning on going home. The others that were staying had been asked not to come up to the well, to lessen the confusion.

Rumplestiltskin came over to her to check on her just as she noticed Belle standing awkwardly among one of the groups waiting to leave. She nodded her head in Belle's direction in question.

"Ah, yes, well Emma and Snow convinced her that she should come with us"  
"She still remembers nothing...?"  
"No, she doesn't know me from Adam, as they say..."  
Wendy nodded her head as if coming to a decision. She took Gold's hand and dragged him over to Belle.  
"Hi Belle..."  
"Um, hello Wendy..."  
"I have a present for you, but I am going to have to touch you to give it to you..is that okay...I promise it won't harm you"  
Belle looked at them both nervously, but nodded.

Rumplestiltskin started to protest and pull away, but her grip was tight.  
"Okay Gold, this might tickle a little..." And she reached into his mind and pulled out his memories...she let them fill her up, smiling as she watched them run across her minds eye like a movie...she took in all that she could bear and then she reached out and grabbed Belle's hand and let the magic flow.

"Oh! What did you...how did you do that?" Belle exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.  
Rumplestiltskin tore his hand away, "What have you done? Are you hurt Belle?" Belle was looking at him so strangely that it took him a moment to realize she was smiling at him. She placed an hand on his arm to squeeze it and walked away, glancing back at him shyly.

"I can't give Belle back her memories, nothing can. But I was able to show her yours...don't know why you didn't try it actually. At least now, she knows that you love her, and she knows what you shared once. If nothing else, she won't be afraid of you anymore. Give her time...it's a fresh start."

Rumplestiltskin was completely speechless for the first time that he could recall. And then he took a deep breath. "Where is that pirate of yours? He never stopped by today.."

Hook was suddenly at her side. "Like a bad penny, here I am..."  
"Good." The Dark One reached into a satchel on the ground.  
"I believe this belongs to you Captain" he said, presenting the item with ceremony.  
The item was a human hand...Hook's hand. Before Hook could react, his hand was suddenly reattached and he was holding his hook in the palm of his left hand. He was stunned to see that the fingers flexed as though they hadn't been stored in a sack for several hundred years.

"Thank you..." He said, begrudgingly, with as much dignity that he could muster.  
"You can thank her, Captain Jones...I figure you will be more useful to her in this world with both of your hands" The two men nodded at each other, nothing left to say between them. Apologies for their shared past, and their shared lover, was a bridge too far, even now.

The portal was surprisingly easy to open...keeping it open however was proving to be a challenge. They were only half way through the crowd when the magic started to dim. Wendy stepped up to Regina and Rumplestiltskin when she saw the portal flicker and took both their hands in hers, letting their power surge through her before she added what she had left of Cora in her.

Hook and Hop watched with rising tension as the light emanating from her was slowly and subtly growing more dim. It had worked and people were running through the portal now, disappearing through the purple ring like wisps of smoke. The royal family walked through last with Regina, while Wendy and Rumplestiltskin held the portal open, and then he turned to her and said, "When I let go of your hand and make a run for it, you must push out with your all of your will towards me, and push me through...don't be shy, dearie, I wont break...and then slam it shut! Do you understand, I will be doing the same from over there, and Regina is waiting to help me...we have to close it from both sides, like a stitch".

"I understand, now go! I can't hold on much longer..." Her body and her voice trembling under the strain.

He turned then, and ran through the smoke. She did as he told her, concentrating all her force on the portal, pushing him through and then she let go, let it fly out of her and back to the realm where it belonged. He and the portal disappeared into the night as if they had never existed, and Wendy dropped to the ground unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

She was asleep for two days. When she awoke in her bed she knew who had carried her there, and allowed herself a smile. She read the note at her bedside, and then began to steel herself for what she had to do. The boys came home that night, laughing and joking, full of plans and dreams.

While she had rested, her boys had been busy stocking up the Jolly Roger. They had recruited some old crew members that had stayed behind, like Mr. Smee, and they had also acquired some new shipmates, like Archie and Leroy. The plan was to set sail the next day. They all agreed that putting off joining the "real world" could wait a little longer and could take some getting used to.

Their first stop would be the port of New York to buy some equipment to modernize the Jolly Roger. Hop was working on a shopping list, with a GPS and generators being a high priority. And a satellite phone. When Hook had showed him the amount of treasure that the hold of the ship contained, Hop had exclaimed..."it's like Christmas!" They definitely had the means to travel for a long while, and in style. The only argument of the day had been over whether Hop could bring his motorcycle, but of course his father relented, finding it difficult to deny his son anything.

"Hey mom, shouldn't you be packing?" Hop asked, interrupting her reverie as she looked over his list.  
"Oh yes, of course Hop...I just have some errands to run okay, don't wait up for me guys"

Hook and Hop shared a look of concern. "Told you." Hop said, his anxiety building.  
"Well, that won't do at all" Hook said as he stalked off upstairs to think.  
The next day they pulled into the parking lot of the marina, their care full of supplies. The rest of the crew were already loaded and awaiting the Captain's orders. Smee took some kitchen supplies right out of Wendy's hands, giving her no other means of killing time. The crew quickly finished loading and were gathered at the ramp, boarding with the last of the boxes.

Finally, it was time for the three of them to climb aboard, but Wendy hesitated.  
Hop said what they were all thinking, "You aren't coming, are you?"  
"No, I'm not...I...I think it would be good for you and your father to have this time together, alone..." She said pensively, mustering her courage.

Hook was eyeing her darkly, and he waved away the crew members to go make ready for sailing.

"Ridiculous! Of course you are coming with us." He said, his tone dangerous.  
"Hook, I..."  
"Hop, I need to talk to your mother...alone."

Hop kissed his mother on the cheek, and said, "I am sorry that you feel this way. I love you Mom"  
"Love you more..." She said and pulled him into an embrace. He returned the affection and bounded up the stairs without another word, which bothered her more than it should have. He must really be mad, she thought to herself.

"Look Killian..."  
"Oh, so now, finally...it's Killian again..."  
"Don't make this harder for me please, I am trying to let you off the hook..sorry that was bad. I mean, gaining a son is one thing, but gaining a...whatever I am, is something else entirely. I mean, he and I aren't matched luggage. We aren't a package deal. He is your son, and you can have him with out having me along...he's a grown man for god sakes..."  
"Well this conversation is rapidly getting more stupid..."  
"That's really mature.."  
"Oh, is that what you are trying to be, mature...? Are you trying to be noble?" She had started to walk away, her eyes glassy, desperate to end the conversation before he could see through her.

She quickly lied, "Okay, the truth is I need my space Killian, to figure out what I want, and I need you to give it to me...once we are apart, we might feel very differently. Right now it's all mixed up in guilt and pain and memories...and neither of us is thinking clearly. I know this is the right thing to do" she said, with little conviction and without another word she turned and started walking back down the dock. She knew if she looked back at him she would weaken, and each step was like a knife in her heart.

A moment later a furious Killian Jones grabbed her shoulders from behind to spin her around...and promptly threw her bodily over his shoulder. "Bollocks to that!"

"Not again...what are you doing?!" She screamed at him, and kicked.  
"Rescuing you, from yourself love...you are welcome!" He sputtered angrily.

She was beyond words with fury at being manhandled again. This was beyond the pale. All she could manage was a few, let me go's and I hate you's as he stalked up the stairs with her and onto the ship. Collective jaws were hanging open as the crew realized that they were about to kidnap her, sort of.

Upside down as she was, she suddenly spotted a friendly face.  
"Archie, help me...please talk to him!"

Archie smiled at her fondly, as Hook came a stop beside him. And then, he leaned down and told her, "it's for your own good really..." earning a loud guffaw from Killian and a look of horror from her. "You traitor! You are supposed to be on my side!"  
"I am on your side Wendy..." Hop and the rest of the crew erupted into chuckles then as Killian grinned widely at Archie.

"Good man! See, even the cricket agrees with me...let's cast off son, before she stabs me!" She was trying to do just that when he grabbed both of her hands, in both of his hands, trapping her arms to his torso. He never though he would be grateful to that crocodile, but in that moment he was. She was quite strong for such a small slip of a woman. "Hop, you are so grounded!" She shouted, aghast at the mutiny that was taking place against her, as Hook continued to haul her below the deck.

He didn't put her down until he reached his cabin, tossing her onto his bed with no grace. She stood up immediately, trying to leave the room and regain her dignity.

He approached her like a predator, forcing her backwards until backs of her legs hit the bed again.  
"What in hell do think you are doing!?"  
"What I should have done the moment I saw you on the dock after I arrived in Storybrooke, right when I discovered you were still alive. What I have been dreaming of doing since I walked away from you, a lifetime ago. If I had behaved more like a pirate then, we would never have been apart...so I am taking a lesson in that, love..it's better to just be me!" He said gleefully as she lunged at him.

He grabbed her hands tightly as she tried to slap him, and with a feral smile he leaned in and roughly captured her lips with his own. The electricity of that kiss was like a punch to the stomach, and they both reeled from it, dizzy from the feeling of being joined again, so intimately. She stopped fighting him long enough for him to lace his hands behind her head pulling her into a deeper kiss, desperate and needy, plundering her mouth without mercy until she had to push him away to breathe. He ground his hips into hers as they regarded each other, panting... and then she whispered to him in a low voice..."Lock that door". He backed away from her then and shot across the room, slamming the door. He was back in front of her an instant later, pressing into her, gathering her into his arms.

"I don't think I can be gentle right now.." He warned her as he ripped her shirt off, tearing buttons off as he worked the garment off her to reveal her bra beneath, and her creamy white skin. She snaked her hands behind his back to grab the bottom edge of his shirt and roughly pulled his shirt over his head, leaning in to capture his bottom lip in her teeth as she told him, "I don't want you to be gentle!"

That was all the encouragement he needed. He ripped the straps of her bra apart at the back when he couldn't work the clasp. He began to strip her of her jeans without fanfare, and pushed her backwards until her legs were against the bed again, licking his lips. He then dropped to his knees and stripped her underwear down her legs as he tilted her body down onto the bed and then buried his mouth in her core. She groaned and gripped the sides of his head tightly. She bit her lip to dampen the noises she was making as his tongue teased her roughly. He was delighted to look up and find her watching him through hooded eyes, sucking absently on her bottom lip, and he began tearing at his own clothes hurriedly as he continued to feast on her, bringing her to the edge and then slowing down repeatedly, teasing her with the fingers on his left hand. He was struggling to remove his boots with his right hand when she finally couldn't wait any longer...she reached down and pulled him up onto her body by placing her hands under his shoulders, surprising him with her strength. When he was flush with her she snaked her hand down to stroke him, squeezing him roughly and eliciting a growl from him, as she pushed him inside her, all done with foreplay for this round.

She tried to flip him over on his back, but he wouldn't yield...slamming her back into the bed with force. "Not tonight, my love..." He smirked, as he drew back all the way out of her and then slammed into her again, drawing a gasp out of her. She retaliated by dragging her tongue from the hollow of his neck, all the way up to his right ear, nibbling the lobe between her teeth. His whole body shuddered and she quickly took advantage, flipping him over onto his back and straddling him, without breaking contact.

She grabbed his hands and forced them into the mattress saying testily, "Yes, tonight!" And she raised up her hips up and stilled herself, pausing while he writhed underneath her, with an evil smile as he groaned, "Oh, you are the devil...". Then she slammed down onto his hips with relish, and lifted up again. He hissed at her, "...that is fighting dirty, pirate, and I won't stand for it". "You aren't standing now..." she replied, slamming down again and stopping...relishing the control she had, knowing he would soon grow tired of this game and take back the reigns. A moment later he broke his hands free and gripped her hips tightly, using his upper body strength alone to drag her down upon him and up again, impaling her roughly again and again as she rode out the onslaught, throwing her head back and crying out.

"Right!" He said, pushing away from the bed with one arm and taking her with him as he scooted his body back until he hit the wall behind the bed, bringing them both to a sitting position. "Now we are both happy..." He said, as his head dipped down and he dragged his teeth across one nipple and then the next, causing her to buck onto him. She moaned as she pushed his head up, seeking his lips. "Less talking, more fucking..." She whispered wickedly as she rolled her hips into his. He pulled back from her then, clucking his tongue, "What a filthy mouth you have, Wendy..." and sought access to that mouth, kissing her hard. Soon he was thrusting his hips in time with his tongue into her eager mouth, slowly and steadily as her hands tightened around his back, digging deep grooves into skin. She was starting to unravel, and so he moved his mouth back to the juncture between her neck and her shoulder, capturing the skin there loosely in his teeth, and quickened his pace, hoping that he could hold out for her. He waited for her body to start its long shudder before he bit down hard, and thrust deeply inside her one more time as they came together, gasping in unison, foreheads touching. He kept thrusting slowly as he enjoyed the spasms running through his body and hers, kissing her languidly as she cupped his face in her hands.

She started to tell him that she loved him, but he stopped her with a kiss followed by a smile while he shook his head at her, as if to say, not tonight...save it for another time. He pivoted their bodies and rolled down so that they were now both lying on the bed on their sides, tangled in each other, looking deeply into each others eyes.

She sighed contentedly and pulled up the covers as the night air hit her skin in the sudden stillness of their bodies. "Wait a minute, these are my sheets...from my bed!"  
"Our bed, dear...I brought many of your necessities and clothes, with some help from our son, of course..."  
"When!?"  
"Oh, hours ago..."  
She tilted her head and smiled at him in awe. "You knew."  
"I know you." He said seriously and a little offended.

"So, now that you have successfully kidnapped me where are we headed?"  
"Well, New York of course, to pick up Hop's gadgets and then...anywhere, love, and everywhere...right after we stop off in Key West"  
"That is very specific...why are we going to Key West?"  
"Because they only have a 24 hour waiting period and no blood test required"  
"For what?!"  
"To get married silly..."

That shut her up for a solid minute, and he watched with great humor as she went through a range of emotions...from shock, to joy, to fear, and then straight to annoyance.

"Don't you think you should ask me if I even want to marry you?"  
"I know you do..."  
"The nerve of you...with a head that big you would think your neck would be larger."  
"You do though, there is no shame in admitting it...I am quite the trophy..."  
"Admit what...you haven't asked, therefore it's not happening"  
"Oh it's happening all right"  
"We shall see...shot gun weddings are not legal anymore in this country you know. No preacher will sign off on wedding ceremony where the bride is bound and gagged...hey...that reminds me, did you bring my little box of fun?" She teased seductively, running her fingers through his damp hair, curling it between her fingertips and waggling her eyebrows.  
"Don't change the subject, wench...you will be Mrs. Jones before a fortnight has passed, mark my words."  
"Oh no, buddy...I am NOT changing my last name!"  
"Rubbish!"

Outside on the deck of the ship, Peter Hopkin Jones, couldn't help but laugh as he heard them bantering. He much preferred these noises to the ones he had just accidentally overheard a few minutes prior. He grimaced slightly at the thought as he pulled out his shopping list, and added "insulation (to block sounds)" in neat, tidy handwriting, and moved to the other side of the ship and popped in his earbuds.


End file.
